Body piercing has become increasingly popular in the United States and abroad, and thus several jewelry designs have been developed for use at particular locations on the body. One common type of design is the captive bead ring which is particularly adapted for use in naval piercings. The design includes a bead having holes or dimples on opposite sides thereof that are adapted to seat opposed ends of a ring having an opening or break formed therein. The beads can have a variety of shapes and sizes, and they often include ornamental features, such as jewels, stones, and other accessories incorporated therein.
In use, the ring is placed through the pierced orifice in the navel, and the bead is then positioned between the ends of the ring. While many factors affect how tightly the bead is held in place with respect to the ring, most designs require pliers or some other tool for expanding the ring to release the bead. Such a tight fit will prevent the bead from accidentally falling off during use. However, the tight fit can also make it difficult for the user to remove the jewelry themselves, or to change the bead.
Another common design for use with naval piercings, as well as for use in other areas of the body, is the barbell design which includes a straight or curved rod having a ball on each end or a ball and a charm affixed thereto. Normally, one ball or a charm is fixedly attached to the rod and the other ball is adjoined to the rod by a screw to allow removal of the barbell from the pierced orifice. While the barbell design does provide an adequate body piercing jewelry style, they are limited by the amount, shape, and size of ornaments that can be implemented therewith. The removable ball on the barbell design can also be awkward and difficult to remove due to the small size of the ball.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved body jewelry that is easy to insert and remove from a pierced orifice, and/or and that allows for simple changing of ornamentation.